With the incredible abundance of basil in my garden it is a pesto time! I hope you share my love for this aromatic herb. The most popular basil pesto recipe is the Pesto Genovese. It is raw, but not necessarily vegan since it uses parmigiano reggiano cheese. If you are a strict vegan you can change any recipe to suit your nutritional needs and beliefs.
Making a herb based pesto is very easy. You can use any fresh herb you wish and raw nuts of your choice and garlic. Add your preferred raw, cold pressed oil, lemon or lime juice. Salt and pepper are optional.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1/2 cup raw pistachio nuts
- 1 green jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 clove young garlic, roughly chopped
- 2/3 cup virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 medium large lemon
- 1/4 tsp Celtic sea salt
Method:
- Roughly chop the pistachio nuts using the S blade of your food processor.
- Add basil, jalapeño and garlic, and pulse blend until all ingredients are well blended, but still slightly coarse.
- Add lemon juice or olive oil and pulse blend for a few seconds. Add salt and mix again. Adjust the taste to your personal liking.
- Serve with pasta of your choice, as a dip with raw vegetables, as a salad dressing or sauce for any raw dish. Enjoy in good company!
Freshly made pesto stores well in the fridge for couple of days. I prefer to make small batches rather than store it for more than two or three days.
Using vegetable peeler I made zucchini linguine and served them with this delicious pesto and chopped cherry tomatoes from my garden. This was really delicious! I hope yours will be too.
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2015